Rail-joint.



PATENTED'AUG. 21, 1906.

T. BRUOKFIELD. RAIL JOINT. APPLIVGATION FILED JUNE 7, 190e.

WITNESSES:

j ATTORNEY.

THEODORE BROOKFIELD,

or KAMiiooPs, CANADA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'liatented Aug. 21, 1906.

Application filed June 7. 1906. Serial No. 320.600.

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, TnEoDoRE BROOK- FIELD, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at the city of Kamloops, in the Province of British. Columbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved railjoint designed to oli' er a strong self-sustaining resistance against downward flexure ofthe rail ends without the use of fish-plates' and to offer an uninterrupted rolling-surface past the space between the rail ends.

The ordinary rail-joint spliced with lishplates is under the most favorable conditions a weak one, and as its efficiency depends entirely on the tightness with which the lishplates engage the under sides of the rail-head i and the upper sides of the flanges if the fishplate bolts are allowed to become slack the sustaining resistance of the joint is impaired and the rail ends work up and down under the trallic. This causes rapid destruction of the rail ends and injur)7 to the rolling-stock, besides which the necessity of constantly tightening the bolts imposes a constant and considerable expense on. the iermanent-way department. These faults li have endeavored to remove in the joint which is the subject of this application, and although the adoption of it will impose a greater initial cost in the manufacture of the rails such greater eostwill be more than compensated for in the reduced cost of track-laying, in the reduced cost of maintenance of both permanent way and rolling-stock, and in the immunity from acciden t, due to the greater strength and safety of the joint.

The particular construction of the joint and the advantages of such construction are fully set forth in the course of the following specification, reference being made to the drawings, by which it is accompanied.

Figure l is a perspective view of the joint complete, the rails being slightlydrawn apart; Fig. 2, a similar view ofthe splice of one rail end 5 `Fig. 3, a cross-section through the middle of the joint, and Fig. 4 a similar view on the end seat of the splice.

In the drawings the normal rail-section is represented b v 2. On the opposite side of each end of the rail and for a distance extending backward bevond the length of the splice to be described the web of the rail is thickened, as at 3, between rail head and flange to splice.I On the opposite side of the end of leach rail is formed a splice 4 about twentyfour inches long and tapered an amount about equal to the thickness of the rail-Web, so that at the butt of the splice the head of the rail is shouldered, as at 5, to the face of the web on that side, and the thickness of the tip 6 is the same in amount. vAbout six inches beyond Ithe shoulder 5 at the butt of the splice the flange of the rail is retained, as at 7, to afford a resting-seat for the tip 6 of the splice of the other rail, and the same distance from the tip 6 the depth of the rail is reduced and the flange portion removed, as'at 8, so that it may rest on the retained flange portion of the other rail. A strong self-sustaining reversible splice is thus constructed, requiring no fish-plates or bolts to enable it `to withstand a great-er downward load than the rail itself and affording a continuous rollingsurface past the ends of the rail.

Elongated holes 9 are provided for the bolts that hold the joint together. be observed, however, that the strength of the joint does not depend on the bolts, but on the mutual sup ort afforded to each rail end resting'on the ange of the fot-her and on the ample reinforcement of the sections of the splice, such reinforcement not only including t e thickening of the web to the width of the rail-head on the side opposite to the spliceface, but the retention of the flange on that side, save where at the tip the depth is reduced to enable it to rest on the flange of the other rail.

Having now particularly described my invention, I declare that what I claim as new, and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rail-joint comprising an elongated tapered splice extending vertically the full depth of the rail, the reinforcement of the rail-section at the splice portion by the thickening of the web of the rail opposite to the splice-face, a resting-seat on the llange of each rail adjacent to the butt of the splice, and a corresponding reduction of depth at the tips of the splice to rest on such flangeseats.

2. A railjoint comprising an elongated splice between the rail ends the contacting lane of which extends vertically the full dept-h of the rail and lo'ngitudinalljfv tapers from one side of the rail-web to the other, a resting-seat on the flange of each-rail adjereinforce the rail-section throughout the cent to the-butt of the splice and a corre- It must.

LIC

of the joint, the removal of the flange and reduction of the depth of the tip of the splice Where it is designed to rest on the Harige of the other rail, and means for holding the rails i 5 to ether at the splice.

n testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in the presenceof two subscribing Witnesses.

THEODORE BROOKFIELD.

In presence oi"-a FRED. J. FULTON, HENRY L. MORLEY. 

